Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-12-30
SLNGULAR CLEW.S.
Criminals Brought to Justice Through
small scraps Of Fridencc.
rTardor EXCHANGED

| Criminals brought to justice Through
| small scraps Of Eridencc.
[Iondon Exchanged
LISA curious fact that those who
have committed crimes are very fre-
1uently arrested with the evidence upon
them. LEROY, who killed Mr.. Gold on
[ the Brighton Railway some years ago,
vas discovered with the old gentleman's
watch in his boot. Often, too. it is
some article OF personal apparel which
brings about a conviction. Franz
Miller, Lefroy's predecessor, who
killed MIR. Briggs on the North London
Railway, wore straw hat with lining
having broad blue stripe edged with
black and white. This he left in q
railway carriage, and many of our
readers will remember how, little by
little, the structure of evidence, of
which this fatal straw hat was the foun-
dation, was built UP.
In recent burglary in Dublin the
thief was arrested on suspicion founded
on one or two very small links. He had
entered library in which, on a table,
was small piece of wedding cake,
which happened to be wrapped in
such manner that it might reason
ably have been suspected to bs q
packet of coin.
When the room was opened the fol-
lowing morning, the cake was found
scattered on the carpet as though
thrown in rage. 1t was observed, too,
that chair had been used for assist
ence in reaching 9 despatch box from a
not very tall article Of furniture. The
smart detective who had the case in
hand put two and two together aud
came to the conclusion-frst, that the
burglar was not young man, or he
would probably have eaten the cake,
and, second, that he was of small
stature and had been obliged to mount
the chair in order to get at the box.
Acting upon these hints, the detective
| boldly accused "a well-known charac-
ter" who had been observed watching
the house, and eventually traces of the
stolen property were discovered in the
| burglars possession, and he was SEN
fenced to five years penal servitude.
AS the detective had surmised, he was
q very short man indeed.
Rather more than sixty years ago the
Red Barn Mystery first aroused public
| attention. There was something so
extraordinary in this strange story and
in the fact that its secret was unraveled
by dreams that for many years it was
favorite fireside chapter of horrors
among the poorer classes. A certain
VIM. Corridor was engaged to a young
woman in his own county, Suffolk, and
they agreed to get married secretly on
the 18th of May, 1924. The girl started
forth disguised as a man, the arrange
ment being that she should resume her
ordinary costume at place on Corder's
farm known as the Red Barn. Thence
they were to proceed to Ipswich, where
they were to be married.
Some time afterward Corder wrote
from the Isle OF Wight, saying that he
and his wife were living very happily.
But the girls mother, not hearing per-
sonally from her daughter, grew
J alarmed, and in March, 1928, dreamed
on three successive nights that her
daughter had been murdered and buried
in the Red Barn. So convinced was
she of the truth of the augurv that she
persuaded her husband to apply for
permission to examine the spot. He
did so, and on digging a few feet,
found the remains Of his daughter en-
veloped in sack. Corder was traced to
Brentford, where he was found married
to the proprietress of u ladies' school.
The dreams of the girls mother can
scarcely be called clew, in the &C.
cepted sense Of the word, but that they
were instrumental in bringing about
Corder's arrest is beyond doubt